Manhole steps



Aug. 17, 1965 y 1', MARINO 3,200,903

MANHOLE STEPS Filed DSO. 2, 1965 A TroR/vgy United States Patent O3,266,903 MANHLE STEPS Thomas Marino, 122 Meadowclide Drive,Scarborough, Ontario, `Canaria Filed Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,289 1Claim. (Cl.'18292) The invention relates to manhole steps as describedin the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings thatform a part of the same.

Owing to the very small space usually provided within a manhole, it ispractically essential that the steps used for descending and ascendingtherein be pla-ced one directly over the other. Under such conditions,however, it is very diflicult for a workman to raise above his head aheavy object, such as a loaded bucket or other object, while he isstanding on a rung which is positioned directly beneath another step. Insuch a case the object must be pushed outwardly beyond the next-aboverung when being raised, which makes the lift both difficult andhazardous.

I eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages attendant upon the use ofheretofore steps, by constructing each step in three parts, namely, twosockets embedded in the manhole wall and projecting short disstancesinto the interior of the casing and a rung member having arms adapted tobe inserted in the sockets and readily removable therefrom, so that whena workman standing on a lower rung wishes to raise a heavy object, suchas a loaded bucket, above his head he can immediately provide space forconveniently raising the object upwards simply by withdrawing the armsof the nextabove step from their sockets and hanging the rung on thearms of the rung on which he is standing so that he can convenientlyraise the object, whereupon, after the lift has been accomplished he canreplace the rung by inserting the arms thereof in their sockets.

The main objects of the invention are to make available for workingpurposes the maximum amount of space within the manhole; to facilitatethe raising of objects upwardly within the manhole, and to provide forconvenient entry into and exit from the manhole by workmen.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel features of construction and arrangements of parts set out in thepresent specification and more particularly pointed out in the claim fornovelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE l is an interior perspective view of a portion of a manholewherein are located the steps of my invention, the topmost of said stepsbeing shown detached from its supporting sockets and the lower stepbeing in position for use, the manhole casing being shown in centralvertical section.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view, foreshortened, through themanhole casing showing a socket with the rear wall broken away todisclose an arm of a rung locked therein.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, through a modified structurewherein the sockets have circular interiors and the arms of the rungshave spaced annular indentures adapted to be engaged locking keys.

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the une s*s of FIGURE 4.

Referring first to FIGURES l-3 of the drawings 1 denotes a tubularcasing embedded in the ground and providing what is commonly known as amanhole, through y 3,200,903 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 ICC which access ishad to a sewer or other underground location, said casing being shownherein as made of concrete.

As means of descent and ascent within the manhole, there are providedtwo or more steps indicated generally by the reference numerals 20 and21, positioned in vertcially spaced relation to one another.

The steps as herein shown are similar in construction and a descriptionof one step may be considered as applicable to the other step or steps.Each step consists of a rung 2, preferably made of a light and strongmaterial and herein being shown of rectangular cross section in ahorizontal direction.

Each rung is formed to provide a `short riser 3 at each end and integrallaterally extending arms 4 and 5 extending at right angles to saidrisers, and open-ended sockets 6 and 7, which latter are embedded inhorizontal positions in the concrete wall of the manhole and have shortportions thereof projecting into the interior of the manhole. Thesockets 6 and 7 of each step are on the same horizontal plane and arespaced from each other in accordance with the spacing of the arms 4 and5 of the rung so as to receive goodly portions of the said arms.

Each rung is provided lengthwise of its top surface with a number ofdeep ribs, herein shown as three in number, designated 8, 9 and 10 andthese ribs extend upwardly along the risers 3 and along the inner oropposed surfaces of the arms 4 and 5.

The sockets 6 and 7 are of somewhat greater cross sectional interiorarea than the arms 4 and 5 and their top and bottom interior surfacesare plane while their opposing surfaces are provided at intervalstherealong with recesses or indentures 11, in one wall and three similarindentations 12 in the opposite wall. The depths of the opposingindentures is such as to provide a sliding t therebetween for the arms 4and 5.

The arms 4 and 5 are provided at points equidistant from their ends withtransverse grooves 13 which extend completely across the arms throughthe ribs 8, 9 and 1t) and the sockets 6 and 7 are provided with holes 14extending through the top and bottom walls of the sockets and being soplaced as to be vertically aligned with the respective grooves 13 acrossthe arms 4 and 5 when the arms are inserted the proper distances in thesockets. Pins 15 of the proper diameter to slidably tit the registeringgrooves 13 and holes 14 provide means to hold the arms and socketsagainst relative lengthwise movement, the said pins being provided withsuitable heads 16 to facilitate insertion and removal of the pins to andfrom their holding positions.

In the use of the embodiment of the invention described hereinbefore aperson standing on the lower rung and wishing to raise an object abovethe step thereabove has only, iu order to provide free lifting areaabove him, to withdraw the arms 4 and 5 of said upper step from theirsockets 6 and 7, after he has raised the pins 15 suiciently far to allowsuch withdrawal, after which the rung may be conviently hung on the rungon which he is standing. Thus, the object to be raised can beconveniently raised overhead in a natural manner and withoutinterference.

After the load has been disposed of the workman can replace the rung tosupporting position by simply raising the pins 15 and inserting the arms4 and 5 the required distance within the sockets to allow said pins topass through the socket walls and the grooves in the arms to theirholding positions.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 a modified structure is shown in which sockets 17 ofcircular cross section are used and wherein the portions 18 of the armswhich are adapted for sliding fit within the sockets 17 are providedwith a series of annular indentations 19 providing and undulatingsurface comprising alternate annular recesses 19 and ribs 20. In thisarrangement the sockets are cut transversely on opposite sides toprovide elongated openings 2l extending completely through the walls ofthe sockets and the undulating surface portions of the arms are adaptedto be held in adjusted positions within the sockets by hat keys 22having in their one edges slots 23 of a width correspondingsubstantially to the narrowest diameter of the arms between two ribs 20,which Vcorresponds also to the spacing between the openings 211 in thesockets. VThe keys are adapted to be placed over the sockets with thematerial at the sides of the slots 23 fitting within the elongatedopenings 21 and the arms Within one or other of the annular recesses 19according to the distance the said arms are intended to enter thesockets.

While I have herein shown and described the present preferredembodiments of my invention, manifestly these 'are capable ofmodification and rearrangement of parts without departing from thespirit and scope thereof. I do not, therefore, wish to be understood aslimiting this invention to the precise forms herein disclosed, eX- ceptas I may be so limited by the appended claim.

What I lclaim is:

In a manhole step, in combination with a manhole casing having aperpendicular wall, a pair 0f sockets embedded in said wall inhorizontally spaced relation to each other and having portions extendinginto the interior of the casing, each of said sockets having plane topand bottom walls and having opposing side walls, each of said side wallsbeing provided With a plurality of interior projections of like lengthspaced from one another lengthwise thereof, a rung, said rung havingarms extending laterally from its ends adapted for close sliding fitwithin said sockets between said interior projections from oppositesides thereof, the sides of said arms which are outermost with respectto each other being plane, a plurality of ribs formed on the sides ofsaid arms which oppose one another and extending lengthwise of said armsin transverse parallel rows, the said arms being adapted to lie withinsaid sockets with the plane sides thereof adjacent the interiorprojections from the one side walls of the sockets and with the saidribs on the other sides of said arms adjacent the interior projectionsof the other side walls of the sockets, the said ribs of each arm beingslotted transversely in alignment to provide grooves transversely of theribbed sides thereof, the said top and bottom walls of said socketshaving apertures therethrough in aligned relation to each other andadapted to be aligned with the said grooves through said ribs onappropriate adjustment of said arms lengthwise of said sockets, and pinsadapted to be projected through said apertures in said sockets andthrough the grooves in said ribs to lock said arms against lengthwisemovement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 289,627 12/83Crabtree 287-53 490,362 l/93 Rich 1252-90 496,803 5/93 Torkelson 287--531,149,368 8/15 Johnson 182-90 2,064,803 12/36 Grove 182-90 2,785,8423/57 Phelps 182-92 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

`REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

